ESPN College Football

ESPN.com's Wright Thompson has a story on Billy Varner, who was former Alabama coach Bear Bryant's longtime driver:

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Something important is being lost. Each rising sun takes a little more from the couple who live in the small brick home southwest of downtown. Billy Varner has been married to Susie for 57 years, and as her life was once spent waiting on him to get home from a job that didn't know hours or days off, now it's spent managing his dementia. Each day brings its own reality. On the worst, Billy, who is 76, doesn't recognize Susie. He'll dress in the middle of the night and try to leave, his pajamas rolled up in his hand. Regularly, he refuses to believe that his old boss isn't at home waiting for a ride. Billy was Bear Bryant's driver, bodyguard and valet, one of the few remaining people who knew him as a human being. As Billy's memory fades, that knowledge disappears with it, widening the gulf between truth and imagination.

Billy tells Susie that he talks to the coach. Sometimes Bryant visits.

"Coach Bryant isn't dead," he'll say. "Don't tell me he's dead."

"Billy," Susie tells him, "yes, he is."

To read the complete story, click here.

Clint Bowyer might have a few more fans than normal at Sunday's NASCAR race at the Talladega Superspeedway.

He plans to wear a special helmet with a picture of Bear Bryant on the back.

Here's what the helmet looks like.

Bowyer has won two of the past three NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Talladega. His No. 15 car will also have a special paint scheme honoring Alabama for its 2011 BCS national championship.

Think there might be a few "Roll Tide!" references every time he crosses the start/finish line?

It's Moving Day No. 2 on the blog network today, and the Aggies are following Missouri out the door into the SEC blog. We introduced the Aggies to the SEC earlier, but now it's time to debate.

The Aggies' move to the SEC was more about having the program grow in new soil, whereas Missouri's move was more about conference stability.

Will the Aggies thrive? SEC blogger Chris Low and Big 12 blogger David Ubben go head-to-head to find out.

Chris Low: OK, David, let's not tiptoe around. The SEC is a big-boy conference with big-boy stakes. I know everything is supposedly bigger in Texas, but do the Aggies really know what they're getting themselves into? For one, they tend to play all four quarters in the SEC. Judging by what I saw from the Aggies last season, somebody might want to remind them that there is a second half. Come to think of it, that's not very hospitable of me. I take that back. But, honestly, how do you think the Aggies will handle the grind of this league?

David Ubben: Now, now, Chris, that's not very nice. The Aggies are ...

As one final tribute to Texas A&M, I elected to forfeit the second half of that sentence.

In the early running, Texas A&M will have a lot of issues. Losing the volume and quality of talent it did in 2011 will hurt, especially on offense, as the program moves into a league -- and, particularly, a division -- known for defense. Ryan Tannehill wasn't great last year, but his experience helped, and Jeff Fuller and Cyrus Gray are a pair of NFL players who don't roll around every year.

I like the talent on campus at A&M a lot, though. They're just going to be young for now. With what they have now, they'll get better and better, as long as Kevin Sumlin does well. Based on what we've seen from his career, I think he will.

Beyond these first three to four years, how well they progress will depend on recruiting. The Aggies think the SEC will be a big draw for Texas recruits who want to play in the best conference in college football. Being able to offer that could help them surpass Texas on the recruiting trail and on the field.

Are you buying that? I lean strongly toward no, but I could see it happening. What do you think? Is playing in the SEC going to be a draw for Texas kids? Why or why not?

CL: I absolutely think the SEC will be a draw for some Texas recruits who see it as a chance to stay in the state, still play their college football and be able to do it against SEC competition. That's a pretty sweet proposition: Stay close to home in the football-crazed state of Texas and compete in the football-crazed SEC, which has a standing order with the sculptor who designs that crystal trophy every year for the BCS national champion.

There's also another side to this story. The boys in the SEC think their chances of going deep into the heart of Texas and landing elite prospects are better than ever with Texas A&M joining the league. Rival coaches can tell mamas and daddies (that's the way the Bear used to say it) that they'll be able to keep up with their sons just as they were in the Big 12 with the Aggies now part of the SEC family, although the recruiting atmosphere in this league isn't very family-oriented. Just ask Urban Meyer. He got so tired of the recruiting shenanigans in the SEC that he's now pulling his own in the Big Ten, according to some of his new brethren there.

That leads me to my next question: Has anybody informed the Aggies that the rules are a little different in the SEC? Unlike the Big 12, it's not the first team to 40 points that wins.

DU: For the record, the league changed those rules for Baylor-Washington in the Alamo Bowl. First to 60 points wins now, but that's irrelevant news for the Aggies.

A&M's front seven has been really good these past two years, but this season, it was the secondary that let the team down. The Aggies led the nation with 51 sacks, but the team wasn't happy that it took a lot of risky blitzes to get those sacks. The defensive line wasn't the unit applying the pressure most often -- it was linebackers and defensive backs. That meant a lot of big plays in the passing game; the Aggies ranked 109th nationally in pass defense, giving up more than 275 yards a game. Now, they won't see the same caliber of quarterbacks in the SEC, but we will see if the front seven can handle the power of teams in the SEC West, which, to their credit, do have a handful of quarterbacks with a lot of potential. Tyler Wilson's great now. AJ McCarron and Kiehl Frazier could be elite soon.

We'll see what new defensive coordinator Mark Snyder can fix.

On the flip side of the recruiting debate, how much do you think SEC teams will try and slide into Texas? Could we see some collateral damage in the Big 12? Will the SEC someday take over the world? I heard Nicolas Sarkozy already has a special security detail in place in case Mike Slive comes after him.

CL: I'm not sure about taking over the world. It's just college football that the SEC someday would like to own. Some might suggest it already does.

Arkansas and LSU probably will be helped the most in terms of going into Texas and getting players. Other schools in the SEC might be more apt to target players in the state of Texas and make a push for those select players, but I don't think you're going to suddenly see a mass of teams in the SEC setting up camp in Texas on the recruiting trail. There's no need to when you look at how bountiful the states of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana and South Carolina are in most years.

You mention some of the quarterbacks in the Western Division. It's fair to say that this wasn't a quarterback's league this season, and I also realize that the Big 12 has produced some quarterbacks over the last few years who've put up Xbox-type numbers.

But my question for you: Is Texas A&M capable of playing the kind of defense it takes to win big in the SEC?

DU: I think so, eventually. The Aggies know they have to, which is huge. They've seen how teams succeed in the SEC, and it's with defense.

If you invest in something, especially with the resources A&M has, good things will happen. Don't forget, the Aggies' defense was really, really good last year. The athletes are there. For A&M, it's about putting it together.

CL: With all due respect, "really, really good" on defense in the Big 12 is entirely different than being "really, really good" in the SEC on defense. The more I watch this conference, the more it's ingrained in me that you're never going to win at a high level unless you can run the ball, stop the run and consistently win the turnover battle. Everything else is window dressing. I understand that's not exactly rocket science, but being able to run the ball creates a mindset that positively impacts your entire team. The same goes for playing good run defense.

So if I were offering any advice to the Aggies as they make the big jump, it would be to fortify their offensive backfield and recruit like crazy in the offensive and defensive lines. There's no such thing as too much depth in the SEC.

Having a little Texas flavor in the SEC is exciting. I know you're on record as saying the Aggies might struggle next season. But over time, I think they have what it takes to be an upper-echelon team in the SEC. Of course, that's the beauty of the SEC. So does everybody else in the league.

DU: Oh, there's no respect due when we're talking Big 12 defenses. The best in the SEC are on another stratosphere from the best in the Big 12.

Your game plan sounds like what I'd recommend, but it's easier said than done. Like Mizzou, A&M will have to start mining some of those junior colleges down South like the rest of the SEC West.

Generally, I'd agree with you on A&M's long-term prospects. The Aggies will win less than they did in the Big 12 ... which is to say not much. But they could put it together and have a huge year every now and then. I don't see them surpassing Texas as a program, but they're on their own now.

For some Aggies, that's enough. Next year, the Aggies will struggle, but watching them grow and try to build a new program will be fascinating.

The SEC went 6-3 in bowl games, and one of those losses was by LSU to Alabama in the Allstate BCS National Championship Game.

What did we learn in the postseason? Here’s a look:

1. The SEC rules: OK, most of us already knew this, but the SEC reasserted itself as the best conference in college football. There were a few blips. Georgia didn’t finish its game against Michigan State in the Outback Bowl, and a kickoff return for a touchdown sunk Vanderbilt against Cincinnati in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. But when the bowl dust had cleared, four SEC teams were ranked in the top eight in the final USA Today coaches’ poll, and three teams were in the top five of both polls. Alabama was No. 1, LSU No. 2, Arkansas No. 5 and South Carolina No. 8. All four teams won at least 11 games, and Alabama, of course, won the big prize. The Crimson Tide made it six straight BCS national championships for the SEC, which has its clutches on college football like never before.

2. Saban reaches new heights: That argument about the two greatest coaches in SEC history is starting to become a genuine argument. Alabama’s Bear Bryant will always be a part of that conversation, but who’s No. 2? Steve Spurrier is a lock for the College Football Hall of Fame when he retires, and if you go way back, Gen. Robert Neyland deserves mention as well. But with his third national championship in 10 seasons as an SEC head coach, Nick Saban is quickly cementing a spot right up there alongside Bryant. The fact that Saban has done it at two places (Alabama and LSU) is what separates him. And keep in mind that LSU was 3-8 the season before he got there and Alabama was 6-7 the season before he arrived in Tuscaloosa. He’s building a mini-dynasty at Alabama, and it’s a run that easily could include a few more national titles.

3. McCarron is coming: The Crimson Tide kept sophomore quarterback AJ McCarron under wraps this season. They shielded him from the media, wanting him to instead focus on everything that goes into quarterbacking the team. They also didn’t put a lot of the offensive burden on his shoulders. That is, until Monday night’s Allstate BCS National Championship Game. McCarron played with the confidence and poise of a fifth-year senior, and was the key to the Crimson Tide’s game plan. He came out throwing against LSU’s defense and finished 23-of-34 for 234 yards. It’s a great way for McCarron to go into this offseason. He will be the unquestioned leader of that offense next season and will be asked to do a lot more. The best news for Alabama fans is that he’s plenty capable. He’s the most physically gifted quarterback Saban has had at Alabama, and the whole experience of the national title game could be the springboard he needs to become one of the SEC’s elite quarterbacks the next two seasons.

4. Head Ball Coach is revived: Despite whether Steve Spurrier is second, third or fourth when you start ranking the best SEC head coaches of all time, he’s proved at South Carolina that there was plenty left in his tank. Spurrier, who turns 67 in April, clearly didn’t go to Columbia for one last taste of football before hitting the golf course full time. He went to win, and the Gamecocks are winning at unprecedented heights. Their 30-13 victory over Nebraska in the Capital One Bowl capped their first 11-win season in school history. They recorded their first top-10 finish in the polls in school history, and they’ve won nine or more games in back-to-back seasons for the first time in school history after making their first appearance in the SEC championship game in 2010. The "Head Ball Coach" should have a good team in 2012, too, so there could be more firsts on the way.

5. Arkansas’ seniors step up: What else can you say about Arkansas’ senior class and the way it set the tone for this team all season? Really, it’s a senior class that changed the course of Arkansas football. And in taking down Kansas State 29-16 in the AT&T Cotton Bowl, the Hogs’ seniors again led the way. Joe Adams had his fourth punt return for a touchdown this season. Jarius Wright caught his 12^th touchdown pass. Jerry Franklin led the team with eight total tackles, the fourth straight season in which he’s led the Hogs in tackles. Jake Bequette had two sacks. Tramain Thomas was his usual solid self, and Jerico Nelson had an interception and 61-yard return to seal the game. It’s a senior class that left an indelible mark on Arkansas football and a senior class that paved the way for the Hogs’ first 11-win season since 1971.

Before his famed stint with the New York Sack Exchange in the NFL, Marty Lyons was a dominant force on Alabama’s defensive line in the late 1970s.

A consensus All-American as a senior in 1978, Lyons helped lead the Crimson Tide to their next-to-last national championship under the legendary Paul W. “Bear” Bryant. Lyons was a defensive captain that season and recorded 119 total tackles, including 15 for loss. He was named the SEC's defensive player of the year.

Lyons, who was also a two-time All-SEC selection, becomes the 23^rd Alabama player or coach to be selected into the College Football Hall of Fame. He was 31-5 during his career at Alabama and a member of two SEC championship teams.

In the hearts and minds of Alabama fans, Lyons will forever be remembered for his part in one of the most famous goal-line stands in college football history. The stand was punctuated by Barry Krauss’ fourth-down stop of Penn State’s Mike Guman just inches from the goal line, preserving Alabama’s 14-7 win over Penn State in the 1979 Sugar Bowl to capture the national title.

During the timeout just prior to the fourth-down play, Penn State quarterback Chuck Fusina walked over to see how much the Nittany Lions needed for a touchdown. The ball was inside the 1. Fusina looked over to Lyons and asked Lyons what he thought Penn State should do.

Lyons shot back, “You better pass.”

A member of Alabama’s Team of the Century, Lyons had perhaps his best game in the 1978 Iron Bowl when he collected 16 tackles, including three sacks, in a 34-16 win over Auburn.

Lyons was a first-round pick of the New York Jets in the 1979 draft and played all 11 seasons with the Jets. He's also the founder of the Marty Lyons Foundation, which for nearly 30 years has fulfilled special wishes for children diagnosed with a life-threatening or terminal illness.

Some of what's making headlines around the SEC:

• Tennessee safety Brent Brewer is suspended from team activities by coach Derek Dooley following his arrest on domestic assault charges.
• Top prospect Jadeveon Clowney decides to stay home and play for South Carolina.
• Jeff Schultz of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution wonders if the SEC East belong to South Carolina in 2011 now that Clowney has signed with the Gamecocks.
• Auburn's $16 million practice facility is on schedule to be completed in time for the start of preseason practice in August.
• Will Muschamp is working through the nights on a new culture at Florida.
• Rick Cleveland of The Jackson Clarion-Ledger takes a look at whether the wishbone would work in today's SEC.
• Former Clemson offensive coordinator Billy Napier joins Alabama's staff as an offensive quality control assistant.
• The draft stock of former Kentucky star Randall Cobb is on the rise.

It's Friday just past noon, which means kickoff is less than 24 hours away in the SEC and your trusty lunch links are here:

• There have been 30 Florida players arrested during his watch and Florida coach Urban Meyer says "enough is enough."
• Tim Tebow is no longer around to clean up Urban Meyer's mess, writes Mike Bianchi of The Orlando Sentinel.
• Auburn's Mike Dyer may be No. 1 before anybody expected, but don't look for Mario Fannin's role to evaporate, writes Evan Woodbery of The Mobile Press-Register.
• Gene Chizik's journey to Auburn started at Clemson.
• Matt Jones of The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette offers up a few notes on the Arkansas-Georgia matchup.
• South Carolina is looking for a stronger pass rush. Assistant head coach for the defense Ellis Johnson wants to see his guys get to the quarterback more.
• This is not the time to toughen Kentucky's nonconference football schedule, writes Mark Story of The Lexington Herald-Leader.
• Mississippi State will stick with its two-quarterback system against LSU.
• Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt likes what he sees from his "humbled" defense.
• Duke's David Cutcliffe learned his coaching lessons well from Bear Bryant.

You really want to get Nick Saban steamed?

Hit him with a good dose of everything that’s out there concerning this Alabama team’s pursuit of history.

All the chatter about defending the national championship, extending streaks and generally accomplishing things that haven’t been done at Alabama since Bear Bryant was roaming the sideline is enough to trigger a full-blown explosion from Saban.

The ultimate live-in-the-moment guy, Saban is affixed only on this preseason camp. More specifically, the next practice of preseason camp.

To him, the bigger picture is finding a way to get better on special teams or solidifying roles in his young and inexperienced secondary.

But chasing history?

That’s for the rest of us to discuss.

“Every season stands on its own, and it doesn’t matter if you’ve just won the national championship or lost two games in a row just like we did two years ago [to end the 2008 season[,” Saban said. “Every season is different. Every team is different. The only thing this team will be remembered for is what we do this season.”

True enough, but another season like last year would also take this group to the doorstep of SEC immortality.

There hasn’t been a repeat BCS national champion since the BCS era began in 1998. Southern California was voted No. 1 in the final Associated Press poll in 2003, but Saban’s LSU Tigers won the BCS national championship that season. The Trojans came back to win the BCS national title that next season.

The last team to win outright national championships in back-to-back seasons was Nebraska in 1994 and 1995.

And from an SEC perspective, nobody in this league has repeated as champion since Tennessee did it in 1997 and 1998.

“None of that means anything right now,” said junior running back Mark Ingram, who made a little history himself last season in becoming the first Alabama player to win the Heisman Trophy.

“The way we got to where we are is taking it one game and one practice at a time, and that’s not going to change just because we won a title. There’s nothing we’ve done to this point that’s going to help us this year.”

Ingram was still in high school the last time Alabama lost an SEC regular-season game. The Crimson Tide have reeled off 16 in a row. The record is 27 in a row, held by ... Alabama.

Bryant’s teams in the late 1970s went three straight seasons without an SEC loss of any kind. Alabama won its final four SEC games during the 1976 season and didn’t lose again to a league foe until Mississippi State upset the No. 1-ranked Crimson Tide 6-3 on Nov. 1, 1980, in Jackson, Miss.

That loss ended a 28-game winning streak overall by Alabama, a streak that saw the Crimson Tide win the AP national championship in 1978 and the outright national title in 1979.

That 28-game streak is tied for the longest overall in SEC history. Alabama also won 28 in a row stretching from the final 10 games of the 1991 season through the first five games of the 1993 season, although those wins in 1993 were later vacated by NCAA sanctions.

Alabama has gone two seasons in a row now without any regular-season losses, the first time that’s happened at the Capstone since 1973 and 1974.

Only once in SEC history has a team gone three straight seasons without a regular-season loss of any kind, and that was Tennessee under Gen. Robert Neyland during the 1938, 1939 and 1940 seasons.

“One of the things you learn in this program is not to get caught up in looking down the road,” sophomore linebacker Dont’a Hightower said. “That’s when you get sidetracked.

“We’ll keep our eyes on what’s right in front of us.”

You asked for it. Well, you get it.

As ESPN.com continues with its countdown of the 50 most-painful outcomes in college football history, I've come up with the most agonizing loss for each SEC team. Some of these games have already been featured in the House of Pain countdown, and some may still be yet to come.

This is going to be painful for some of you, but here goes:

ALABAMA

Notre Dame 24, Alabama 23 (Sugar Bowl); Dec. 31, 1973: It was perhaps the most hyped game in Alabama's storied history with two coaching giants -- Bear Bryant and Ara Parseghian -- going head-to-head in a classic duel. But the No. 1-ranked Crimson Tide lost a heartbreaker, ending their perfect season. They had already won the UPI national championship, but the Irish vaulted to No. 1 in the AP poll.

ARKANSAS

Texas 15, Arkansas 14; Dec. 6, 1969: It was dubbed the 'Game of the Century." Texas was No. 1 and Arkansas No. 2. President Richard Nixon was in the stands that night at Razorback Stadium, and the Hogs built a 14-0 lead. But the Longhorns rallied with quarterback James Street completing an improbable 44-yard pass to tight end Randy Peschel on a fourth-and-3 play to set up the winning touchdown. Street, a wishbone quarterback, had only thrown 80 passes all season.

AUBURN

Alabama 25, Auburn 23; Nov. 30, 1985: In Bo Jackson's final SEC game, Alabama's Van Tiffin kicked a 52-yard field goal with six seconds left to send the No. 7-ranked Tigers reeling in the 50th Iron Bowl. The Crimson Tide streaked downfield with no timeouts remaining and less than a minute on the clock to get in field goal range. There were four lead changes in the fourth quarter alone.

FLORIDA

Georgia 27, Florida 10; Nov. 5, 1966: The Gators, led by senior quarterback Steve Spurrier, were ranked No. 7 nationally and unbeaten, but were no match for arch-rival Georgia that day in Jacksonville. The Gators' SEC championship hopes were derailed, and they had to wait until 1991 to win their first SEC title, Spurrier's second year as coach at his alma mater. Spurrier still hasn't forgiven the Bulldogs.

GEORGIA

Penn State 27, Georgia 23 (Sugar Bowl); Jan. 1, 1983: The No. 1-ranked Bulldogs were on the doorstep of a second national championship and unblemished season in three years, but fell behind 20-3 to the Nittany Lions and could never catch up. Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker played his final game for the Bulldogs and didn't have a run that was longer than 12 yards. In the 36 games that Walker played for Georgia, the Bulldogs lost only three times.

KENTUCKY

Tennessee 7, Kentucky 0; Nov. 25, 1950: Bear Bryant's No. 3-ranked Wildcats lost a chance at an undefeated season and outright national championship in the regular-season finale, dropping a heartbreaking 7-0 decision to the Vols after a winter storm hit Knoxville and dumped 10 inches of snow on the ground the morning of the game. The loss stung even more after Kentucky went on to defeat No. 1-ranked Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl and snap the Sooners' 31-game winning streak.

LSU

Tennessee 14, LSU 13; Nov. 7, 1959: One week after Billy Cannon's historic punt return for a touchdown to beat Ole Miss on Halloween night, No. 1-ranked LSU was upset at Tennessee when Cannon was stopped at the goal line on a two-point conversion attempt in the fourth quarter. Cannon claims to this day that he got in. The loss ended the Tigers' 19-game winning streak and their hopes of a second consecutive national championship.

MISSISSIPPI STATE

Tennessee 24, Mississippi State 14; Dec. 5, 1998: It's the closest the Bulldogs have come to winning an SEC championship in the modern era. They led No. 1-ranked Tennessee 14-10 late in the fourth quarter in what remains Mississippi State's only trip to the SEC championship game. But the Vols got a pair of touchdown passes from Tee Martin 28 seconds apart to escape and go on to win the national championship that season.

OLE MISS

LSU 7, Ole Miss 3; Oct. 31, 1959: Billy Cannon's Halloween magic on an 89-yard punt return for a touchdown spoiled what could have been one of the greatest seasons in Ole Miss history. It's the only game the Rebels lost all season, and they only gave up 21 points in 11 games. They wound up beating LSU in a Sugar Bowl rematch, but lost out on a chance to win the outright national championship when they couldn't get Cannon on the ground two months earlier.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Navy 38, South Carolina 21; Nov. 17, 1984: If ever there was proof that the "Chicken Curse" really exists, it's that dreary November day in Annapolis, Md., 26 years ago. The No. 2-ranked Gamecocks were unbeaten and on their way to playing for a national championship, but were inexplicably upset by a Navy team that finished 4-6-1 that season. The Gamecocks had a chance earlier in the week to lock in a Sugar Bowl berth (win or lose) if they would commit, but they were holding out for the Orange Bowl. They wound up tumbling to the Gator Bowl and were beaten by Oklahoma State.

TENNESSEE

LSU 31, Tennessee 20; Dec. 8, 2001: Tennessee's program hasn't been the same since. The Vols were coming off an epic win over Florida in a game that was moved to the end of the season because of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and were all set to face Miami in the Rose Bowl and play for their second national championship in four years. But they couldn't get past LSU in the SEC championship game. The Tigers rallied from 10 points down and won despite losing their starting quarterback and starting running back to injuries during the game.

VANDERBILT

Tennessee 20, Vanderbilt 17; Dec. 1, 1973: Leading No. 19-ranked Tennessee 17-13 with less than two minutes left in rain-soaked Neyland Stadium, Vanderbilt punter Barry Burton, an eventual All-American at tight end, dropped the snap. The Vols recovered inside the 40 and scored the winning touchdown in the waning seconds. The Commodores, under first-year coach Steve Sloan, missed out on their chance to become bowl eligible for the first time in 18 years and finished 5-6.

In keeping with the spirit of the World Cup, my ESPN.com colleague, Ivan Maisel, has a piece on famous ties in college football history.

Hard to believe that it’s been 15 years since the tie was replaced by overtime in college football. It’s certainly changed strategy at the end of games. Coaches typically play for overtime now and kick the extra point instead of going for the two-point conversion and the win.

Ties involving a pair of SEC teams are featured in Maisel’s piece -- Auburn’s 16-16 tie with Syracuse in the 1988 Sugar Bowl and Florida’s 31-31 tie with Florida State in 1994.

A few more come to mind:

• In fact, in that same season Auburn played Syracuse to a 16-16 tie in the bowl game, the Tigers tied Tennessee 20-20 earlier that year in Knoxville.

• The only blemish on Ole Miss’ 1960 record was a 6-6 tie with LSU in late October in Oxford. The Rebels finished 10-0-1, winning the SEC championship, and were also voted national champions by the Football Writers Association of America.

• Auburn tied Georgia Tech 7-7 in 1958, which was the only blemish on the Tigers’ record that season. The Tigers went into that game ranked No. 2 nationally and had won 17 straight games.

• Alabama and David “Deuce” Palmer rallied to tie Tennessee 17-17 in 1993 in a battle of Top-10 teams. Palmer scored on a two-point conversion in the final seconds to forge the tie, which was later forfeited because of NCAA sanctions against the Crimson Tide.

• Alabama went unbeaten in conference play to win the 1981 SEC championship, but lost two games that season and tied one. The tie was to Southern Miss, 13-13, at Legion Field in Birmingham. That next season, Bear Bryant’s last at Alabama, Southern Miss beat Alabama 38-29 in Bryant’s final game at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

• LSU and Alabama played to a 14-14 tie in 1985 in Baton Rouge, which cost the Tigers a share of the SEC championship. LSU had a chance to win the game, but missed a 24-yard field goal with five seconds to play.

• Colorado and Tennessee played to a 31-31 tie to open the 1990 season in the Pigskin Classic in Anaheim, Calif. The Buffaloes went on to win the Associated Press national championship that season.

• In 1979, Charlie Pell’s first season at Florida, the Gators played Georgia Tech to a 7-7 tie in Gainesville. The reason that tie was significant was that it marked the only game all season the Gators didn’t lose. They finished 0-10-1.

• Georgia and Clemson battled to a 16-16 tie the second game of the season in 1983. The Bulldogs rallied from a 16-6 deficit and tied the game with 38 seconds to play on Kevin Butler’s 31-yard field goal. The game ended in bizarre fashion. Clemson’s Donald Igwebuike tried a 68-yard field goal in the final seconds that was no good, leaving a second on the clock. Butler then tried one from 66 yards for the Bulldogs that was also short.

We’ve spent so much time looking back this week. Why not look ahead?

The SEC won five national championships last decade. Any reason to believe that dominance won’t continue?

One thing we’ve come to know about the SEC is that change is inevitable. And when the winds of change blow through this conference, they blow fast and often times without warning.

Here are 10 things to watch for next decade in the SEC:

1. At least two more national titles for Alabama: Repeating might be tough, but Nick Saban will add to Alabama’s already crowded trophy case next decade. You can count on that. Saban’s as close as it gets to a guarantee in college football. He recruits like a madman. He’s just as good at developing players. He runs his program like a Fortune 500 company, and the only thing he thinks about is the next challenge and what it takes to get there.

2. Crowds at Saban’s statue: Alabama athletic director Mal Moore has already said they plan to construct a statue of Saban to go along with the Crimson Tide’s other national championship-winning coaches at the Walk of Champions. Bear Bryant’s statue will continue to draw the largest crowds. But as the titles mount next decade at the Capstone, look for the crowds gathered around Saban’s statue to give the Bear’s statue a run for its money.

3. Another title for Meyer: The Gators might slip some next season, but they’re not going far. Check out their commitment list for the 2010 class. Urban Meyer will take most of his leave of absence following signing day. Look for him to coach a maximum of four more seasons and then break away for good. But in those four seasons, the Gators will win a third national title on his watch.

4. The Six Million Dollar Man: Saban and Meyer are already raking in $4 million per year, but somebody next decade will hit the $6 million plateau. Maybe it’s the guy that replaces Meyer. Maybe it’s Meyer. Maybe it’s Saban. Maybe it’s a coach at another school in the league. If you haven’t noticed, there’s an arms race going on in college football, and there’s no end in sight.

5. Coaching change at LSU: Either Les Miles is going to get out while he can, or he’s going to be forced out sometime in the next two or three years. Miles’ first three seasons on the Bayou set the bar so high that he won’t be able to get away with too many more four- and five-loss seasons. The 2010 season is critical for him if he’s going to get back into good graces with the LSU faithful. He lost a lot of support this season, especially with how poorly the offense performed.

6. NCAA violations to follow Kiffin: He left an NCAA cloud hovering over Tennessee’s program before bolting for Southern California, which has its own NCAA issues. Don’t be surprised if the NCAA finds a few things “Lane Violation” didn’t do exactly by the book during his 14-month pillage at Tennessee that follow him to the West Coast.

7. Kentucky ends drought against Tennessee: The Wildcats have come oh so close the last few seasons to ending their drought against the Vols, which is now at 25 games and counting. Tennessee survived in overtime this season in Lexington and needed four overtimes in 2007 to prevail. All things come to an end. Mercifully for Kentucky, that includes a losing streak that goes all the way back before anybody on its current roster was even born.

8. The Gamecocks break out: If any group of fans deserve a breakout season, it’s the long-suffering South Carolina fans. They’ve put up with mediocrity for 100-plus years. And, yet, they’re always there in force supporting their Gamecocks. Somewhere in this next decade, there’s a nine- or 10-win season hovering. Perhaps it’s next season. The Eastern Division race will be as wide open as ever. Wouldn’t that be something? The Head Ball Coach giving South Carolina its first ever East title and then jettisoning to the golf course full time.

9. Phillip Fulmer returning as Tennessee’s athletic director: Don’t laugh. It could happen … and maybe sooner than anybody thinks. Current athletic director Mike Hamilton, who fired Fulmer, lost a lot of his footing thanks to the whole Lane Kiffin debacle. New coach Derek Dooley faces a pretty major rebuilding project in more ways than one. Many times when things like this happen at a football-crazed school, athletic directors don’t survive. See Steve Pederson at Nebraska.

10. Vanderbilt to have another winning season: It’s hard to have a lot of confidence after the way this past season went for Vanderbilt, which ended up going winless in the SEC. But the Commodores will have another winning season under Bobby Johnson. The offense will improve. Of course, it can’t get any worse, and the Commodores will have another one of those seasons where they don’t have the crippling injuries that plagued them this season. Johnson is too good a coach, and he’s surrounded by an excellent staff. The work they did in 2008 in getting the Commodores to seven wins wasn’t a mirage. They’ll do it again.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- What a gorgeous day for football at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

The sun's out. There's a slight breeze, and the anticipation is what you'd think it would be for Alabama vs. LSU.

The Crimson Tide can lock up the Western Division title with a win, and the Tigers can put themselves in great shape for the division title by winning. Florida has already clinched the East crown.

It's always a treat when I come to Tuscaloosa for a game to hang out at the Walk of Champions. The statues of the Alabama national championship coaches line the walk, and not surprisingly, Bear Bryant's statue always draws the most people.

At the end of the walk, closest to the stadium, there's an empty spot right beside the statue of Gene Stallings.

I overheard two guys discussing Saturday morning what all Alabama fans are hoping and thinking.

"Yep, there it is. We know who that spot's reserved for," said one of the fans.

His buddy responded, "The Man ... I hope they're already working on his statue."

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

A little bit of this and a little bit of that as we head into Week 7 in the SEC:

• Urban Meyer is 49-9 as Florida’s head coach. A win over Arkansas would tie him with Alabama’s Frank Thomas for the fewest games needed to reach 50 wins as a head coach in the SEC.
• Something has to give Saturday at the Swamp. Arkansas leads the SEC in passing offense (318.2 yards per game) and passing touchdowns (15). Florida leads the SEC in passing defense (115.2 yards allowed) and fewest passing touchdowns (1).
• Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy has not had a turnover since a second-quarter interception against Virginia Tech in the opener. His streak of 141 passes without an interception is third in the Alabama record books behind only Brodie Croyle (199) and Jay Barker (155). Since halftime of the Virginia Tech game, McElroy has passed for 1,139 yards with nine touchdown passes and no interceptions.
• You want balance? Check out Alabama’s offensive numbers this season. The Crimson Tide have rushed for 1,341 yards and passed for 1,327 yards – a difference of 14 yards.
• South Carolina has never defeated a team in the top 2 of the AP poll (0-12). The highest-ranked opponent the Gamecocks have ever beaten was No. 3 North Carolina in 1981. South Carolina is looking for its second win over a top 5 opponent this season. Prior to this season, the Gamecocks were 1-32 all-time against top 5 opponents and were on a 22-game losing streak in those games. South Carolina beat No. 4 Ole Miss on Sept. 24. The Gamecocks have never beaten a top 5 team when they were also ranked.
• South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier is moving up the chart in SEC regular-season wins. He has 104, not counting SEC Championship Game wins, and will tie Georgia’s Vince Dooley for third all-time with his next win. Ole Miss’ John Vaught is second on that list with 106 wins. First place belongs to Alabama’s Bear Bryant, who has 159 – one of those records that will probably never be broken.
• South Carolina ranks 11^th in the SEC in sacks allowed with 15. Only LSU has allowed more with 18.
• Mississippi State’s Anthony Dixon can break the school’s all-time rushing record with 49 yards Saturday against Middle Tennessee. Jerious Norwood currently owns the record with 3,212 yards from 2002-05.
• Since 2005, Florida has committed the least amount of turnovers of any FBS team (72). In that time, the Gators have had 18 games in which they did not turn the ball over at all, which is second to West Virginia’s 20 games without a turnover.
• Tennessee’s Montario Hardesty leads all FBS running backs with 23 runs of 10 yards or longer this season. Alabama’s Mark Ingram is second with 22 runs of 10 yards or longer.
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• SEC teams have scored more touchdowns on interceptions (12) and kickoff returns (7) than any other FBS conference.
• Vanderbilt has given up more than 24 points only once since the opening game of the 2008 season. That’s a stretch of 19 games.
• Georgia sophomore defensive back Brandon Boykin is the first player in SEC history with two 100-yard kickoff returns for touchdowns in a season. He had one against Tennessee last week and one against South Carolina earlier this season.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

	AP Photo
	Mississippi State quarterback John Bond is shown here getting sacked in a 31-17 loss to Nebraska in the Sun Bowl in 1980.

John Bond was one of the most prolific running quarterbacks in the history of the SEC while playing in Emory Bellard's wingbone offense at Mississippi State from 1980-83.

Bond, who started from the time he was a true freshman, carried the ball 572 times during his career, an astounding number of carries for a quarterback in any era. It's one of those records that looked like it would never be broken.

And then Tim Tebow came along.

"I still wince when I watch Tim take all those shots. I know I still feel every one of mine," said Bond, who was the SEC's all-time leading rusher as a quarterback with 2,280 yards until Arkansas' Matt Jones (2,535 yards) passed him earlier this decade.

Tebow is likely to pass them both this season. Heading into Saturday's game against Troy, he has 2,038 career rushing yards on 477 carries.

"At least Tim's got some better angles than I did. He's got them spread out a little more," Bond said. "We'd pile them all up in there and try to run it. Emory always said, 'If somebody's on you and somebody's on the pitch man, then you keep it.'

"It made sense, but damn did it hurt."

Bond, 48, is now living in Madison, Miss., a town just north of Jackson. He's the director of business development for Eutaw Construction. His company specializes in heavy construction, although they branched off in the last few years and built some game-day condos near the Mississippi State stadium.

He still attends as many Mississippi State games as he can. That is, when he's not off somewhere deep sea fishing. He travels extensively around the southeast with his job and is an avid golfer.

Bond's wife, Mary Beth, is also a Mississippi State girl. Her brother, Chuck Daniel, played on some powerhouse Mississippi State baseball teams back in the Will Clark days. Bond and his wife have a little girl, 3-year-old Emily Grey. He also has two older sons living in Tampa, Fla., 20-year-old Andrew and 17-year-old Wesley.

Bond, who spent a year playing in the CFL after college, has been in the construction business ever since a three-year stint as a graduate assistant at Mississippi State under Jackie Sherrill in the late 1990s.

"Jackie Wayne cured me of my coaching wants," Bond joked.

Having not played quarterback until his senior season of high school in Valdosta, Ga., Bond fit perfectly into Bellard's wingbone, which is essentially what Air Force is running today. He was 200-plus pounds, tough and could run. He once had an 87-yard run against Auburn in 1982 and threw two 80-yard passes that same season, although the Bulldogs didn't throw it much in those days.

As a senior, Bond rushed for 13 touchdowns, which is still tied for second most in a season for an SEC quarterback.

His favorite moment at Mississippi State was beating Alabama in 1980 as a freshman and snapping the Crimson Tide's 28-game winning streak.

"To beat the Bear when they hadn't lost a game in over two years was huge," Bond said. "That's something I'll never forget."

The Bulldogs also beat LSU all four of Bond's seasons, once when the Tigers were ranked in the Top 10, and beat Miami and Jim Kelly in back-to-back seasons in 1980 and 1981.

Bond said the two best defensive players he played against were Alabama's E.J. Junior and Florida's Wilber Marshall.

"They both were linebackers, if that tells you something," Bond said. "I remember Marshall hit me about a yard out of bounds when Florida had that turf. It had sprinkled enough that it got slick. He hit me and sent me sliding right up under the benches. They had them bolted down back then. My shoulder pads got wedged up under them, and I couldn't get out.

"I looked like a turtle on its back."

Bond's two least favorite memories are easy -- both of his losses to Ole Miss. He still seethes at what he says was a bogus pass interference call in 1981, helping the Rebels prevail 21-17. He said the official who made the ball later wrote a letter to Bellard apologizing.

"Little good that did," Bond said. "It was an awful call. They put the ball on the 1 and beat us."

Bond's last college game was also a loss to Ole Miss, the infamous wind-gust game. The Bulldogs lined up for a 27-yard field goal that would have won it with 24 seconds left, and freshman Artie Cosby's kick appeared to be good. But a 40-mph wind gust knocked it back just before it crossed through the uprights.

"I think it landed back about where we snapped it from," Bond lamented. "How do you get over something like that?"

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

	AP Photo/Ron Heflin
	Major Ogilvie, who turned 50 in December, still lives in Birmingham.

I’m always asking somebody or they’re asking me, “Whatever happened to this player or that player?”

Well, we’re going to find out every week this year during the season.

Our first “Where are they now?” installment centers on former Alabama running back Major Ogilvie, a fixture in the Crimson Tide’s wishbone offense back in the late 1970s. Ogilvie was a trademark Bear Bryant player. He was smart, tough and versatile enough that he also played on special teams.

Ogilvie, who turned 50 in December, still lives in Birmingham and works as a division manager for Block USA, a company that manufactures concrete products. He travels extensively, but still attends most of the Alabama games.

His wife, Jane, also went to Alabama, and they have three children. Their son, Morgan, is a sophomore quarterback at Alabama. Their oldest daughter, Mary Riley, is a senior in high school, and their youngest daughter, Collier, is in the eighth grade. The girls are also athletes and play everything from volleyball, to basketball, to running on the track team.

Ogilvie played from 1977-80 at Alabama, was a part of two national championship teams and only lost four times during his college career. That’s after winning two state championships during his last two years of high school and going unbeaten. He went to training camp with the San Francisco 49ers after completing his college career, but was released near the end of camp.

He shared time in the Alabama backfield with an assortment of runners, namely Tony Nathan. His most productive season was 1978 when he rushed for 583 yards, averaged 6.5 yards per carry and scored eight touchdowns. Ogilvie averaged at least 5.3 yards per carry all four seasons at Alabama, and though he only carried the ball 299 times during his career, finished with 25 rushing touchdowns.

Ogilvie still counts his blessings that he had a chance to play under Bryant.

“Coach Bryant was such a strong, positive influence for all of us. You have a hard time letting that go,” said Ogilvie, who will be in Atlanta on Saturday night for the opener against Virginia Tech. “He just had a way of making you think that you could do whatever you wanted to do. I think coach (Nick) Saban has a lot of those same tendencies and that same presence about him.

“You hear guys who played for Coach Bryant say there’s not a day that goes by that they don’t think about something he told us or taught us. That’s true.”

Ogilvie continues to be amazed at how much the college game has transformed. He came to Alabama weighing 169 pounds and got up to around 178 before he was finished.

He jokes that he ran a 4.6 40-yard dash when he was at Alabama, which was fast for those days.

“As you get older, you get faster. I think I could run a 3.9 now,” Ogilvie cracked.

His two most memorable plays were non-offensive plays. He tackled Auburn’s James Brooks in the open field on a kickoff return in 1978 to save a touchdown.

“He broke through there, and it was just me and him,” Ogilvie recalled.

The other play came in the 1979 Sugar Bowl Classic against Penn State, which ranks as one of the most memorable wins in Alabama history. The Crimson Tide’s goal-line stand preserved a 14-7 win and earned them their first of two straight national titles.

In the second quarter of that game, Penn State’s Rich Milot intercepted Jeff Rutledge and motored down the sideline for what looked like would be a touchdown. But Ogilvie came roaring across the field to knock Milot out of bounds before he reached the end zone.

“It was a great time to be at the University of Alabama when I was there,” Ogilvie said. “Coach Bryant had been there for more than 20 years, so there was a lot of carry-over. I’ll always be grateful to all the players and coaches who came before us and helped build that great tradition.”

Ogilvie said the two best players he played against at Alabama were Penn State linebackers Matt Millen and Bruce Clark.

“That’s an easy choice,” he said.

His toughest loss is just as easy: The 6-3 setback to Mississippi State during his senior season in 1980 that snapped a 28-game winning streak and cost the Crimson Tide a share of the SEC title.

The game was played at Memorial Stadium in Jackson, Miss., which is about 300 yards away from a plant Ogilvie calls on in Jackson for his company.

“We were on the 1-yard line the last play of the game. I’m still reminded of that every time I go to Jackson,” Ogilvie said.